Dem senator presses Pentagon on Guantanamo feeding WASHINGTON (AP) — The force-feeding of terror suspects at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, runs counter to international standards, medical ethics and the practices at American prisons, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee said Wednesday in pressing the Pentagon to establish a more humane treatment. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who traveled to Guantanamo earlier this month, wrote in a letter to Defense Secretar...

Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators sought cost-cutting opportunities Wednesday in the Pentagon’s $400 billion program for the next-generation F-35, a fighter jet with a troubled testing record that military leaders said America couldn’t afford not to build. Chairing the hearing, Sen. Dick Durbin lamented that the F-35 already has cost taxpayers billions more than what Congress signed up for more than a decade ago. The Illinois Democrat asked military ...

Bipartisan proposal on student loans circulating WASHINGTON (AP) — Students applying for financial aid for the coming school year could find some comfort in a bipartisan student loan compromise taking shape in the Senate that would prevent interest rates from doubling and set a single rate each year for undergraduate students, rich or poor. Interest rates, which would be tied to the financial markets, would rise slightly to 3.8 percent for low-income students receiving new subsidized Staffor...

Gov’t report: Smooth launch unsure for health law WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s no guarantee that President Barack Obama’s health care law will launch smoothly and on time, congressional investigators say in the first in-depth independent look at its progress. But in a report to be released Wednesday, the congressional Government Accountability Office also sees positive signs as the Oct. 1 deadline approaches for new health insurance markets called exchanges to open in each state — in many cases ...

Social issues still fire up GOP despite 2012 loss WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers have a message for those who want the party to soften its emphasis on social conservatism in hopes of reaching a wider national audience: Not so fast. House Republicans flexed their cultural and conservative muscles Tuesday, passing the most restrictive abortion measure in years. They also advanced legislation to crack down on immigrants living illegally in the country, even as senators pursue a plan that...

Panel accepting comments on voter ID rules LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas’ law requiring voters to show photo identification faced questions Wednesday about who would resolve disputes when people don’t look like their ID photos, as the state’s top election panel began finalizing rules for its enforcement. The state Board of Election Commissioners voted to begin accepting public comments on the new law, which is set to take effect next year. The panel is expected to hold a public hearing o...

House passes far-reaching anti-abortion bill WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-led House on Tuesday passed a far-reaching anti-abortion bill that conservatives saw as a milestone in their 40-year campaign against legalized abortion and Democrats characterized as yet another example of a GOP war on women. The legislation, sparked by the murder conviction of a Philadelphia late-term abortion provider, would restrict almost all abortions to the first 20 weeks after conception, defying laws i...

CBO: Senate Immigration bill would help economy WASHINGTON (AP) — Sweeping immigration legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate would boost the economy and reduce federal deficits, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, at the same time it would bestow legal status on an estimated 8 million immigrants living in the United States unlawfully. In an assessment that drew cheers from the White House and other backers of the bill, Congress’ scorekeeping agency said the measure would ...

NSA director says plot against Wall Street foiled WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence led by lawmakers sympathetic to the spying. The House Intelligence Committee hearing provided a venue for officials to defend the once-secret programs and did little probing of claims that the...

Military plans would put women in most combat jobs WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring “the days of Rambo are over,” a top general said Tuesday that cultural, social and behavioral concerns may be bigger hurdles than tough physical fitness requirements for women looking to join the military’s special operations units. Maj. Gen. Bennet Sacolick, director of force management for U.S. Special Operations Command, said having seen women working alongside commando teams in Afghanistan, he is less concerned ...

World looks to Bernanke to clarify stimulus plans WASHINGTON (AP) — Is the era of ultra-low interest rates nearing an end? When he takes questions this week after a Federal Reserve meeting, Chairman Ben Bernanke will confront investors’ fears that rates are headed higher. Financial markets have been gyrating in the 3 1/2 weeks since Bernanke told Congress the Fed might scale back its effort to keep long-term rates at record lows within “the next few meetings”— earlier than many had assumed. B...

Transgender candidate could become a first in NYC NEW YORK (AP) — Mel Wymore is a typical city council candidate in many ways, campaigning as a community board appointee, ex-PTA chair and founder of a roster of local organizations. But Wymore’s community-leader resume has an unusual feature: He built much of it while he was a woman. If he wins, Wymore would be the first openly transgender person elected to public office in the nation’s biggest city and one of only a handful ever in the U.S., ...

IRS worker: No political bias against tea party WASHINGTON (AP) — An Internal Revenue Service manager and self-described conservative Republican said the close scrutiny of tea party groups’ tax forms originated in his Cincinnati IRS office and not in Washington, according to a full transcript of his interview by congressional investigators released Tuesday. John Shafer, who oversaw a small group of IRS workers who screen applications for tax-exempt status, told the investigators that the in...

US, Taliban to start talks on ending Afghan war KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country’s security to the Afghan army and police. The Taliban met a key U.S. demand by pledging not to use Afghanistan as a base to threaten other countries, although the Americans said they must also denounce al-Q...

Beebe wants review of state parole system LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas' governor says the state's parole system needs review after a parolee was charged in a Little Rock murder. Darrell Dennis was charged with aggravated robbery, kidnapping and capital murder in the May 10 death of 18-year-old Forrest Abrams. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/11MnAhZ ) that Dennis had been arrested 14 times since being released on parole in 2008 following an aggravated robbery ...

Governor to hold off on scheduling executions LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe doesn't have any immediate plans to schedule executions for seven death row inmates even though the attorney general had asked him to do so, the governor's spokesman said Tuesday. Beebe's decision to hold off on setting execution dates comes as the Department of Correction plans to rewrite its lethal injection protocol and as nine death row inmates challenge the state's new execution law in cou...

State rep. running for auditor next yearLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas state Rep. Andrea Lea says she's seeking the Republican nomination for state auditor next year. Lea said Monday that she's decided to run and will formally announce her candidacy on July 2 with events in Russellville, northwest Arkansas and Little Rock. Lea is the second Republican to announce a bid for the office. Lea has served in the state House since 2007 and chairs the House State Agencies and Governmenta...

Pope County fund revenues struggleIn the midst of rising costs to conduct business, Pope County’s revenues have essentially stayed flat since 2008. Revenues saw growth from 2005-08. During that time, the general fund revenue grew from $7,095,157 in 2005 to $8,436,661 in 2008. Revenues have been higher than 2008’s figures only once since then, in 2010, when general fund revenues were $8,439,109. Revenues dropped in 2011 and 2012, reaching only $7,969,621 in 2012. The largest co...

Granholm tells state Democrats to set sights on 2014 LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm told Arkansas Democrats on Saturday that next year's election will give them a chance to highlight the differences between their party and the tea party conservatives in the GOP. Speaking at the Arkansas Democratic Party's annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner, Granholm said Democrats can contrast their record on issues such as health care, education and job creation as they try to rebound fr...

US retail sales jump 0.6 percent in May on autos WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans stepped up purchases at retail businesses in May, spending more on cars, home improvements and sporting goods. The gain shows consumers remain resilient despite higher taxes and could drive faster growth later this year. The Commerce Department said Thursday that retail sales increased 0.6 percent in May from April. That’s up from a 0.1 percent gain the previous month and the fastest pace since February. The April g...